following the line of the present road near the inlet, and crossing it
at, or very near the site of the present bridge, about three-fourths
of a mile from the head of the lake. North of the bridge, the banks of
the inlet are low and marshy, in many places impassable for infantry,
and at all points impassable for artillery and pack horses; while
south of the bridge, is a wet swamp almost impenetrable from the thick
growth of underbrush, west of the lake and Inlet is a steep hillside,
the face of which, cut up by numerous ravines, is so steep that with
considerable difficulty an army could march directly up it. The trail
after leaving the bridge probably continued south westerly up the hill
obliquely, nearly on the line of the present highway to the summit of
the bluff, and thence turning northwest followed along the heads of
the ravines for a mile and thence directly west to Gathtsegwarohare.
Directly west of the bridge, between two very deep ravines, is a space
nearly half a mile in width, which continues up the hill on very
favorable ground for the advance of the army. It appears to be the
only point where it could advance in the order of march laid down,
which would require a space of nearly a half a mile in width for the
several columns.
After the battle of Newtown, Butler and Brant with their demoralized
forces, sullenly retired, powerless to prevent the advance of the
devastating army. Butler had reached the last Indian village of
Canawaugas, located on the west side of the Genesee, twelve miles
north of the Great Genesee Castle. Here he received re-inforcements of
regulars from Niagara, and determined to make one more effort against
the invaders. Gathering all his available forces of regulars, tories,
and Indians, he left Canawaugas on the morning of the 12th of
September, and probably reached the position on the hill west of
Kanaghsaws, on the evening of the same day. Here they posted
themselves north of the trail, at the heads of the ravines about
three-fourths of a mile west of the bridge, and a mile and a half from
Kanaghsaws. This was a most admirable position for an ambuscade, and
in many essential particulars of topography and fact, bears a striking
resemblance to the fatal ground where Braddock so ingloriously
sacrificed his army; and had Sullivan advanced in the same blundering
manner, he too, might have met with an equally disastrous defeat. The
plan appears to have been, to attack a portion of the army after it
had crossed the bridge, or to ambuscade the head of the column while
ascending the hill; but whatever may have been the original design, it
was completely frustrated by the fortunate movements of the
unfortunate Boyd. It will be remembered that the army went into camp
on the flats near Foot's Corners two miles north of the village of
Kanaghsaws. Boyd and his party left camp at 11 o'clock at night,
passed through the abandoned Kanaghsaws, and from thence pursued the
direct trail which led south westerly up the hill to Gathtsegwarohare.
In the darkness of the night, he passed Butler's right flank, neither
party being conscious of the presence of the other, and reached
Gathtsegwarohare, which the inhabitants had abandoned early in the
morning, without encountering any difficulty. On the morning of the
13th Sullivan advanced to Kanaghsaws, and finding that the enemy had
destroyed the bridge over the inlet, he detailed a portion of the army
to aid the pioneers in its re-construction, and to repair the roadway
over the low grounds leading to it. All of this was directly under the
eye of Butler, who, according to a British account, "lay undiscovered
though only a musket shot from the rebels, and even within sight." On
reaching the town Boyd halted his forces at the suburbs, himself and
one of his men reconnoitered the place, then rejoined the party and
concealed themselves in the woods near the town. He sent back two of
his men to report to General Sullivan, and awaited the light of the
day whose morning was just breaking. These two men got through safely
and reported. About daybreak four Indians were seen to enter the town
by Boyd, one of whom was killed, another wounded, the rest escaped.
Boyd then immediately set out to return, expecting to meet the army on
the march, and when about half way, despatched two more men to inform
the general of his intention to remain "on the path" and await the
coming of the army. These men soon encountered five Indians, and
returned; the entire party then resumed the march, following and
firing on the retreating Indians, who lured them directly into the
lines of the enemy. Colonel Butler hearing the firing on his right and
rear imagined he was discovered, and that instead of ambuscading the
rebels, he was himself to be surprised by this unexpected attack in
the rear. No evidence whatever has appeared to confirm the conjecture,
that Boyd's presence was either known or suspected in that quarter, by
Butler, or any portion of his force, until discovered by the five
retreating Indians, and to them, only by accident; but when discovered
with true aboriginal cunning they allured their unsuspecting victims
to the fatal embrace of the enemy, who came there to surprise an army,
but were prevented by the blundering of a scout.
A few of Boyd's party who were acting as flankers escaped, five or six
fell near the trail and were found when the army advanced, the
remainder retreated a short distance north to a clump of trees, where
their bodies were found all near together, and where all the bodies
were buried on the return march of the army on the 16th. During the
construction of the bridge a guard had been established west of the
inlet, and Captain Lodge with his party engaged in making their
surveys, had advanced some distance up the hill; the bridge was about
completed when the fugitive flankers came rushing down the hill
pursued by small parties of the enemy. Hand's brigade immediately
advanced up the hill to the position occupied by the enemy in the
morning, where he found the packs of the enemy in the position they
had left a few minutes previous. He remained here in line of battle
until the army had crossed, and formed for the advance up the hill.
[91] Capt. Benjamin Lodge, with a party of assistants accompanied the
army and with chain and compass surveyed the entire route of the army
from Easton to the great Genesee town. On the return march he
accompanied Col. Butler's expedition through the Cayuga country.
[92] CORPORAL CALHAWN, a volunteer, died the next day.
[93] GATHTSEGWAROHARE, so called by Nukerck; _Gaghegwalahale_ by
Dearborn; _Cassawauloughly_ by Hardenburgh, was seven miles directly
west of Kanaghsaws, on the east side of Canaseraga creek about two
miles above its confluence with the Genesee river. Here is a beautiful
plateau of about six acres, admirably adapted for an Indian town, at
present occupied by the house and surrounding grounds of the widely
known "Hermitage," the ancestral home of the Carolls. The town
contained twenty-five houses, mostly new, and appears to have been
located on both sides of the stream north of the Caroll mansion. The
tribe residing here called Squa-tche-gas by Sullivan; by the Onondagas
Tchoueragak, signifying wild cats; by Cusic Squakihows, and by others
Kah-kwas, were the same that afterward settled at Squakie-Hill, to
whom was reserved the two square miles in the Big Tree Treaty of 1797.
They were a remnant of one of the tribes of the historic Eries, who
occupied the territory to the south and east of Lake Erie whose blood,
language, and league did not differ materially from the Iroquois Five
Nations. After a terrible conflict, and many bloody battles the Eries
were finally overthrown about the year 1655, and a remnant
incorporated with the league. They were permitted to live by
themselves, to have a separate council fire and keep up a show of
tribal rites, but were really vassals to do the bidding of their
masters. Boyd and his party reached this town about at the break of
day on the morning of the 13th, and found it abandoned. He sent two of
his men to report to Gen. Sullivan and concealed his force in the
adjacent woods. Soon after four Indians on horseback entered the town,
one of whom, Sah-nah-dah-yah, was killed and scalped by Murphy, when
Boyd set out for camp. As Sullivan approached the town about dark on
the 13th, he found the enemy, both Indians and rangers drawn up in
battle array apparently intending to dispute the further advance of
the army; but as the advancing columns assumed their positions in line
of battle, and the flanking divisions moved to the right and left,
threatening their lines of retreat, a few shots from the howitzers
caused them to abandon their position, and retreat across the
Canaseraga. The army were engaged until noon of the 14th in destroying
the cornfields which were very extensive in the vicinity of the town.
[94] CHENUSSIO.--This town, though not in existence at the time of
Sullivan's campaign, is intimately connected with its history. It was
located on the site of ancient Williamsburg, near the confluence of
the Canaseraga and the Genesee, on the east side of the latter river.
It appears on the Guy Johnson map of 1771 as Chenussio, on the Pouchot
map of 1758 as Connecchio, in both cases at the point described and
where Mary Jennison's narrative says it was in her day. In 1750 it was
visited by Cammerhoff and Zeisberger, two Moravian missionaries, who
called it Connesschio and describe it as then containing forty houses.
All of these names are dialectical and orthographical variations of
the modern word Genesee, signifying _the beautiful valley_. Gaustarax,
a celebrated Seneca Chief, was for many years a leading spirit of this
town, and during the French and Indian war, being thoroughly in the
interests of the French, it required all the diplomatic ability of Sir
William Johnson, and the influence of the other nations of the league,
to neutralize his efforts. It was in existence as early as 1750, and
as late as 1770, but in 1768 it had ceased to be the western door,
which honor was then held by the great town of Chenandoanes, on the
west side of the river. At the time of Sullivan's campaign it had
ceased to exist or had dwindled into an insignificance unworthy of
mention.
This was the town that Boyd was sent to reconnoitre, and which Major
Norris says the General expected to find on the east side of the river
and two miles north of Gathtsegwarohare. This is the town also, that
writers confound with the great town west of the river, and which so
perplexed General Sullivan in his examination of the maps.
[95] GENESEE CASTLE.--This was the great village of the Senecas, the
western door of the Long House, located between Cuylerville and the
west bank of the Genesee river, in the town of Leicester, Livingston
County. It appears on Evans' map as Chenandoanes in 1776, is mentioned
as early as 1754 as Chenandanah, and is often called Little Beard's
town. Sullivan's official report says: "The Castle consisted of 128
houses mostly large and elegant. The place was beautifully situated,
almost encircled with a cleared flat, which extended for a number of
miles, where the most extensive fields of corn were waving, and every
kind of vegetable that can be conceived."
[96] This soldier was named Parker, who with Lieut. Boyd were made
prisoners. They were carried to Little Beard's Town, where Boyd after
being tortured in a most cruel manner was beheaded. Parker was
beheaded without being tortured. The remains of Boyd and Parker were
removed to Mount Hope Cemetery in August, 1842.
[97] Several writers claim that Canawaugas, on the west side, and
Ohadi and Big Tree on the east side of Genesee river were destroyed in
this campaign. No reliable authority has been furnished in support of
the theory. Sullivan says distinctly that he went no farther than the
great town, beyond which, as he was informed, there was no settlement,
and no villages are mentioned in any account as existing on the east
side of the river, nor is mention made of any portion of the army
being on that side,--on the contrary, several mention the fact, that
_all the army_ were engaged in the destruction of the town, and
cornfields, which, when completed at 2 o'clock on the afternoon of the
15th, _the whole army_ came to an about face, and returned on the same
route and in same order in which they advanced. Butler left Canawaugas
on the morning of the 15th for Niagara.
[98] Nathan Davis in his account, before referred to, mentions the
incident with additional particulars. Her story was that at the time
she and her little boy were taken prisoners, her husband was killed by
the savages; that she had lived with the Indians some two years, and
when the army entered the town, the day before, the Indians were in
such haste to get out it that she could not follow them and finally
lost herself in the woods, and thinking it might be Butler's camp she
had ventured to show herself. She was taken to the General's Quarters
and well provided for. During the march the woman and her boy were
furnished with a horse. On the third day of the march the child was
taken sick and shortly after died. The boy was wrapped in an old
blanket and hastily buried. The scene is described as exceedingly
touching. She afterward married Roswell Franklin, the first settler of
Cayuga County.
[99] Present Canandaigua Lake in Ontario county, see note 86.
[100] See note 84 for description of this town.
[101] This encampment was on Rose Hill in the town of Fayette.
[102] Lieut. Col. William Butler. See Thomas Grant's account of the
march of this detachment.
[103] No account has been found of the exact route taken by this
detachment. It is supposed they followed the regular Indian trail, the
line of which was afterward substantially adopted for the Seneca
Turnpike, which passed through Auburn and Onondaga Hill to Fort
Stanwix on the Mohawk, on the site of present Rome in Oneida County.
On the way the party passed through the Oneida and Tuscarora towns,
where every mark of hospitality and friendship was shown the party.
They reached Fort Stanwix on the 25th.
[104] KENDAIA. See note No. 81 for description of this town.
[105] "We lost in this place more than a hundred horses, and it has
been called, I suppose, the valley of Horse Heads to this
day."--_Nathan Davis' Statement._
[106] During the absence of the army Col. Reid had constructed a
palisaded work at the junction of Newtown creek and the Chemung just
below Sullivan's Mills in Elmira, called in some accounts Fort Reid.
[107] There were five brigades.
[108] At the same time news was received of "the generous proceedings
of Congress in augmenting the subsistence of the officers and men."
[109] Thirteen appropriate toasts were drunk. The last was follows:
"May the enemies of America be metamorphosed into pack horses and sent
on a western expedition against the Indians."--_Lossing's Field Book
Rev., I, 278, note._
[110] "Sept. 27.--A large fatigue party was sent up the river nine
miles, where they loaded nine boats with corn and other vegetables and
brought them down. This evening Mr. Lodge and five men from Col.
Butler came and informed us that the Col. was about 10 miles from
camp."--_Jenkins' Journal._
[111] Col. VanCortlandt says he went above Painted Post.
[112] TIOGA POINT, below present Athens. See note 63.
[113] FORT SULLIVAN, built on the narrow isthmus between the two
rivers in present village of Athens. See note 70.
[114] VAN DER LIPPES. See note 58.
[115] LACKAWANNA. See Note 55. The site of Coxton, ten miles from
Wyoming at the upper end of the valley.
[116] _Wyoming_, fort and village on the east side of the Susquehanna
below present Wilkesbarre. See note 44.
[117] BULLOCK'S, deserted house, seven miles from Wyoming at the Great
Meadows, and fifty-eight miles from Easton,--called also Sullivan's
camp, from his encamping there June 22. Nathan Bullock resided here at
the time of the Wyoming massacre. He had two sons, Amos and Asa, one
of whom was a lawyer, both killed in the battle. The father was
captured and carried to Canada in 1780.
[118] SHADES OF DEATH, so called from being a dense forest. Several
places in Pennsylvania bore the same name. See note 31.
[119] WHITE OAK RUN, or RUM BRIDGE, 33 miles from Easton. See note 36.
[120] BRINKER'S MILLS, or Sullivan's Stores, so called "on account of
a large house built here, and a quantity of provisions being stored
therein for the use of the forces under Major General Sullivan's
command."--_Rogers' Journal._ Captain Patterson was in command; 19
miles from Easton in present town of Hamilton, Monroe county.
[121] Encamped near Heller's Tavern at the foot of Blue Mountain, at
present Hellerville in town of Plainfield, Northampton county, 12
miles from Easton.
[122] "EASTON consists of about 150 houses. There are but three
elegant buildings in it, and about as many inhabitants that are any
ways agreeable. Take them in general they are a very inhospitable
set--all High Dutch and Jews."--_Shute's Journal._
[123] MARBLETOWN, a town in Ulster Co., N.Y., west of the Hudson. They
appear to have taken the road through Warren and Sussex counties, N.J.
[124] WARWICK on Wawayanda creek in south west part of Orange county.
[125] NEW WINDSOR on the Hudson, in Orange county.
[126] NEW PALTZ, a post village, on the Wallkill in Ulster County,
N.Y.
GENERAL CLINTON'S MARCH DOWN THE SUSQUEHANNA.
General James Clinton was born in Orange County, New York, August 9th,
1736. He was third son of Colonel Charles Clinton, brother of Governor
George Clinton, and father of Governor DeWitt Clinton, of New York.
During the French and English war, in 1756, he distinguished himself
at the capture of Fort Frontenac, where he was a Captain under
Bradstreet. Seven years later he commanded the regiments raised to
protect the frontiers of Orange and Ulster counties against Indian
incursions. In 1775, with the rank of Colonel, he accompanied the
chivalric Montgomery to Quebec. He was appointed a brigadier, August
9th, 1776, and commanded Fort Clinton when it was attacked in October,
1777, by Sir Henry Clinton; his brother, George Clinton, at same time
being in command of Fort Montgomery. After a gallant defense against
superior numbers, the forts were carried by storm, Gen. Clinton being
the last man to leave the works. He was stationed at West Point during
the greater part of 1778. In 1779 he commanded the brigade of New York
troops under General Sullivan. With a force of 1600 men he ascended
the Mohawk to Canajoharie, and thence across to Otsego lake. Here he
collected a large number of batteaux, and erecting a dam at the foot
of the lake, raised the water several feet. By tearing away the dam,
an artificial flood was made, on which the batteaux floated to the
place of meeting at Tioga, the army marching alongside by land. The
Journals of Lieut. Van Hovenbergh and Major Beatty give an account of
this march.
MAJOR ERKURIES BEATTY.
Major Erkuries Beatty, was born October 9, 1759, son of Rev. Charles
Beatty, who came to America from Ireland in 1729. He was an apprentice
in Elizabethtown, N.J., at the beginning of the revolution, and served
with the Jersey troops; was at Long Island Aug. 9, 1776, under General
Sterling, and served as a sergeant at White Plains, Oct 28. He was
commissioned an Ensign in the 4th Penn. regiment, with rank from Jan.
3, 1777; was promoted to Lieutenant May 2, and was engaged in the
battle of Brandywine, Sept. 11th of same year. He was badly wounded at
Germantown, but rejoined his regiment at Valley Forge in January,
1778. He was at Monmouth June 28 of that year, and shortly after
accompanied his regiment to Schoharie, N.Y. He was with Col. Van
Schaick in his expedition against the Onondagas in June, 1779, and
with his regiment accompanied Gen. Clinton down the Susquehanna to
participate in Sullivan's campaign, during which he wrote a Journal
covering the period from June 11 to Oct. 22 of that year, of which the
following is a part, the original of which is now in the archives of
the New York Historical Society, to whose courtesy we are indebted for
permission to make a copy. He was at the surrender of Cornwallis Oct.
19, was mustered out of service Nov. 3, 1783, and died at Princeton,
N.J., Feb. 23, 1823.
PART OF BEATTY'S JOURNAL, 1779.
Monday, Aug. 9.--Agreeable to yesterday's order the Gen'l beat at 6
o'clock, the troops marched about 8, excepting 3 Men which was to
remain in each boat to take them down the River. The Infantry march in
front which I now belong to, and the Remainder of Battalions next,
marched on 16 miles within 5 miles of Yorkham's[127] where we
encamped on a small improvement called Burrows'[128] farm where there
was a great many Rattlesnakes and very large, there was one killed
with 15 rattles on.
Tuesday 10.--Rained, a little last night and this day till 10
o'clock--marched off the ground at 3 o'clock and went 5 miles to
Yorkham's where we encamped, the men in the Boats encamped on the farm
which lies on the East side of the River and the Remainder on the
other side opposite, went on guard to-night.
Wednesday 11.--Marched off this morning at Sunrise and proceeded on 14
miles down the River where we encamped on a small farm, passed several
farms to-day with very poor houses on them and some none, the Riflemen
in front saw fresh Indian tracks to-day on the Path and found a * * *
at one of their * * * To-day we crossed a large creek called Otego,
and passed several Indian encampments, where they had encamped when
they were going to destroy Cherry Valley or returning, likewise we
passed one of their encampments yesterday, we encamped to-night at
Ogden's farm and very bad encamping ground.
Thursday 12.--Marched off this morning 7 o'clock, had the advanced
Guard to-day, proceeded down the West side of the River as usual, 12
Miles came to a small Scotch settlement called Albout[129] on the
other side of the River 5 miles from Unadilla which we burnt, but the
people had gone to the Enemy this last Spring, went on to Unadilla,
crossed the River to the East side and encamped, the River was about
middle deep when we waded it. This settlement was destroyed by our
detachment last fall excepting one house which belonged to one
Glasford who went to the enemy this Spring, his house was immediately
burnt when we came on the ground to-day. We passed several old Indians
encamp'ts where they encamped when they destroyed Cherry Valley, the
road middling hilly.
Friday 13th.--This morning very foggy and a great deal of dew. Marched
off at 6 o'clock, went 2 miles, waded the River about 3 foot deep,
proceeded on to Conihunto[130] a small Indian village that was, but
was Destroyed by our Detachment last fall, its 14 miles from
Unadilla.[131] A little below this town there is 3 or 4 Islands in the
River where the Indians raised their corn. On one of those Islands our
troops encamped with the boats and cattle, the light Infantry went 2
miles from Conihunto where they encamped a little after 3 o'clock in
the woods. Middle good Road to-day.
Saturday 14th.--Marched this morning at 8 o'clock, very hilly road for
the Right flank, arrived at the fording 2 miles from Onoquaga[132]
about 2 o'clock which is 8 from where we started, the ford being too
deep to wade, crossed in our Boats to the East Side, went over a high
hill and got to Onoquaga at 3 o'clock where we encamped on very pretty
ground. This town was one of the neatest of the Indian towns on the
Susquehanna, it was built on each side of the River with good log
houses with stone chimneys and glass windows, it likewise had a church
and burying ground and a great number of apple-trees, and we likewise
saw the Ruins of an Old Fort which formerly was here many years ago.
The Indians abandoned this town last fall when they heard of our
detachment coming to destroy it, they had but just left it when we
came in it, but we did not catch any of them, but burnt their town to
ashes, and the detachment returned. This evening we fired an evening
gun.
Sunday 15th.--Very heavy dew this morning, went on Guard, the Army
Remain at Onoquago to-day quiet, no news stirring as I hear of
particular.
Monday 16th.--This morning a very heavy dew and fog, which is very
customary in this country, was relieved of my Guard and the day proved
exceedingly warm, a heavy shower of rain this afternoon, at 12 o'clock
Major Church with the 4th P. Regt. went out 5 or 6 Miles to meet 4 or
500 Militia[133] who we expected to join us here, but he returned in
the evening and saw nothing of them.